meringues

Here's some meringues I made and some that got broken whilst being taken out of the oven. We had to have them with Mango to use them up. Is there any wonder I am fat?

New tablets.

I don't remember telling you about my new medication for diabetese. I saw a new nurse who asked me if I would like to try a new drug because my blood sugar was constantly high and nothing seemed to shift it despite increasing the amount of Insulin that I was injecting. Because of the high amount of Insulin I was also getting fatter and fatter. Well the new drug worked almost instantly and my sugar levels have now become alarmingly low and I have decreased my Insulin intake by a third. Wonderful!! Except that ...................I have put on 8 pounds almost overnight. The nurse forgot to tell me that this is one of the side effects. Now I am struggling to decide what to do. On the one hand it's good that my sugar is down but on the other ............how much fatter will I get.?
Yesterday we went to meet Grahams cousin Aileen who we haven't seen for 40 years. It was lovely to see her again and to meet some of her family. They are staying in a holiday park nearby so I think we will see them again before they go home. Talk about memories!

at last a blog.

It seems like ages since I wrote a blog and such a lot has been happening. Mick and Debbie were here so of course that meant much going out, eating and drinking etc. So much so that I was forced to miss going to my W.I meeting and the village hog roast.
One of the foxes was killed in front of the house (see an earlier blog).
There was another terrible accident in front of my neighbours house and I went down to help. This is the 4th bad accident in so many months, although the council says there are no problems with the road. Graham has written to our councillor who has promised to have a speed limit imposed but I think someone will have die first. Anyway a car full of young people are lucky to be alive having turned the car over at some speed, although a girl was in a bad way when she went into the ambulance. Another boy broke both his legs and another one had a gash in his head that you could have put your fist into.
On wednesday we went to Boston, as we usually do, except it was with Debbie and Mick instead of Alan and Vicky. On entering our usual restaurant we met Alan and vicky inside so we were able to kill two birds with one stone. needless to say Mick had the place in uproar within minutes of arriving and he even made the usually miserable owner have a laugh and a joke!
it is so quiet now that they are gone and I really miss them.
Oh well back to normality now !!

An aussie poem

The Drovers Cook

by Thomas John Quilty

Now the drovers cook weighed 15 stone and he had one bloodshot eye,
He had no laces in his boots and no buttons on his fly.
His pants hung loosely round his hips, hitched by a piece of wire,
And they concertinaed round his boots, in a way that you'd admire.

Well he stuck the billy on the boil and then emptied out his pipe,
And with his greasy shirt sleeve, he gave his nose a wipe.
And with pipe in mouth he mixed a sod and a drip hung from his chin,
As he mixed the damper up, the drip kept dripping in.

I walked quietly over to him and I said "toss that mixture out,

And in future when you're working keep your pipe out of your mouth".
Ooh he stood erect and eyed me, with such a dirty look,

And he said in choice Australian, "Get another bloody cook".

A cook, I said, you call yourself, you greasy slob made lout,

Why you should be jailed for taking work, you cannot carry out.
He then uncorked come language, and I felt a thrill of fear,

As he swung his hairy paws about and said “Trot your frame out here"

In outback brawls there are no rules or limits to the weight,
So I had to squib or meet him, with my meek and 9 stone 8.
We both bounced into action, and fell into a clinch,

I put a headlock on him, but I couldn't make him flinch.

For hours we fought in deathly grips, swung upper cuts and crosses,

We staggered and floundered in distress like rogue and winded horses.
And then gaspingly he muttered, “why I've fought all through the north,

You're the gamest thing I've ever struck, give me your hand old sport".

Well I can't explain my feelings, with joy I nearly cried,

As we staggered to a shade close by, where he sank down and died.
Now you talk about that saltbush scrap why it was only clay,
Compared to that gruelling battle we fought that fateful day.

And now above his resting place where the grass has grown to seed,
On stone is carved his epitaph for travellers to read.
Here lies the son of Donald Gunn, none gamer ever stood,
And he died in dinkum battle, with Jimmy Underwood.

Birthday card

I love this birthday card that someone sent Graham. It speaks volumes about where we live now.

Andrew

I did half a dozen pies for Andrew ( aka Drew Beret ) but sadly Mick liked them hence the disapointed look on Andrew's face.

Fox!

Sad but I guess it is the "biter bitten" The fox was killed this morning outside our house by a passing vehicle.

Exhausted!

Well Gina and Andrew went home yesterday and Mick has gone back to London today and boy is it quiet! We have been celebrating Grahams 70th birthday and it has involved a lot of drinking and the visiting of pubs. Mick is enthralled by our pubs, especially those with thatched roofs. We have been out for dinner (yes it was in a pub) and we have visited Cleethorpes, where we had the famous BIG FISH. Mick could hardly believe what he was handed. Wow he said this is ridiculous. Nevertheless he managed to eat 14 inches of Haddock, which was only the medium fish, without too much difficulty!
Yesterday we went to the nearest town, Louth, for a continental food market and bought and ate a ridiculous amount of deli food, washed down of course by John Smiths beer in a local pub.
Mick and Debbie will probably come back to us tomorrow or the next day before they embark on their odyssey around Britain. Meanwhile I am going to have a nap to prepare for the next onslaught.

Alpaca Farm

I have just returned from a W.I outing to an Alpaca farm. It was very good. Alpacas are a cross between a Llama and a camel and are so beautiful. We were then given demonstrations about what can be done with their wool which is soft and fine like cashmere. The woman made felt, both wet and dry,Spinning wool and Peg weaving. I learned a lot. The coffee and home made cake was delicious too!

Dentists!!

AHGHH!!
Just been to the dentist for our 6 months check up. Thank goodness he didn't find anything that needed doing. He is still mightily impressed by the filling I had done in Australia 18 months ago and feels it will last for some time yet. When it goes then I have to have that tooth extracted. Not something I am looking forward too!
sheila x

recuperated

I have recovered from Sunday's classic car rally. It was an absolutely red hot day and although the morning part was in the shade, after lunch the sun came around and beat on us.I managed to sell about 30 jars of jam but by the time I had finished buying things from other stalls I was seriously out of pocket. I also ate lots of junk food as well which didn't help. It was nice to meet up with people that I haven't seen for a while and there was a lot of good natured banter. I was also invited to go pick fruit from peoples gardens which was nice but I am in no mood for jamming at the moment. I have family coming from Australia next week and I need to do some serious cleaning before they get here. ( As if they would notice.) Gina and Andrew will be coming for Graham's 70th birthday. We are trying to get a small caravan for people to sleep in.
Time for lunch now and then a lie in the garden swing I think!
Sheila x

jammin!

Yesterday we picked our neighbours cherries and made jam. Today we picked our other neighbours gooseberries. I couldn't face jamming again so have frozen some, Bagged some to sell on sunday and made a gooseberry crumble and custard.
on sunday I will be having a stall at the classic car show in the village so I am thankful that the weather forecast is good.
sheila x